Refrigerator-counter display-case



4A. N. IfIORNUNG. REFRIGERATOR IIOUNTER DISPLAY CSE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. Il, |919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M'MWM kg A. N. HORNUNG.

REFRIGERATOR COUNTER DISPLAY CASE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. II. ISIS.

1,347, 1 6 1 Patented July 20, 1920,

` 2 SHEES-SHEE 2 fief-6 24 F I' 7 j 7 IUI/@afar 4 MT/yp y A onjYHorm/n UNITED sT'ArEs PATENT OFFICE.

ANTON N. HORNUNG, OF LOS NGELES, CALIFORNIA.

REFRIGERATOR-COUNTER DISPLAY-CASE. I

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Application filed November 11, 1919. Serial No. 337,254.

To all rwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, ANTON N. HonNUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1,438 W. 37th Drive, in the city of Los Angeles, county of Los ngeles, and State of California, have invented anew and useful Refrigerator-Counter Display-Case, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to furniture or lixtures for butcher shops, fish markets and the like, in which the dealer stands behind Y the goods and the customer in front of them,

and an object is to present the goods to the customer in a direct and favorable way, to allow the dealer to see the goods equally well with the customer and to have direct access to the goods with'minimumloss of refrigerant, and to allow most ready and direct access to the refrigerator when such access is required.

An object of this invention is to provide for the display of meats and other products requiring refrigeration, a superior show case adapted to the purpose in a su'- perior manner and to make provision for introducing the refrigerant with great convenience and without disturbing the arrangement of the products displayed.

An object is to provide a show case of tained, and yet to allow .the door to be opened and closed, to allow the dealer to place and to withdraw the 'products with any desired frequency without serious loss of refrigerant. i

Other features relate to special construction and arrangement, whereby cheapness of construction and ease of removal of parts,

for cleansing', and to give access to the interior for the purpose to which the same is adapted, is secured. Y

The invention is particularly adapted to show cases refrigerated with ice as the refrigor-ant` and is broadly new and basic in that its frame is practically a two piece structureone of the pieces being constructed to gire the counter appcaraiu'e and the other piece constituting the receptacle in which the ice and the products to be displayed are acronimo(lated: the latter piece being supported by and partly chanibered in the counter piece.

An object is to facilitate the construction. handling` transportation, and setting up of the refrigerator counter display case and to this end the device is made in a counter section and a display section adapted to be fitted together' and detachably secured to each other by screws or other convenient detachable fasteners so that the device may be handled separately or in one piece as may be desired.

Features of the invention are applicable irrespective of whether the interior of the device is made accessible through only one or through a plurality of orifices or whether one or more than one closure be depended on to close entrance to such interior.

The invention may be embodied in different forms,`and an important advantage gained in the preferred construction of the fixture, is the provision for ready admission into the refrigerator and display receptacle of cakes of ice that are somewhat larger than usual, without removal of any of the l parts of the fixture.

This is secured by making the height of the entrance, coextensive or nearly so with that of the entrance to the receptacle and providing a shiftable and detachable support for the rear edges of the wire screens or grids that usually sustain the display above the ice; lso that if the lumps of ice are somewhat too large to be inserted below the support, such support may be shifted with? out removal to enable the lumps of ice to be inserted; or, if it is desired to insert large cakes of ice and to place a display directly on such cakes, this may be accom plished by removing the grids and the grid support thus leaving the display and refrigerating receptacle free from any partition and also leaving the entrance free from any obstruction.

T he shiftable and detachable grid support is preferably in the form of an angleiron carried by pins that are supported by uprights of the fixture.

Other objects, advanta es andfeatures of invention vmay appearrom the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed de# scription and the appended claims. The raccompanying drawings illustrate' the invention.

, Figure l is a perspective view of a refrigeratordisplay counter constructed in accord= ance wlth this invention.

Portions of the pedestal and refrigerator are broken away for clearness of illustration:

Fig. 2 is a cross section of .the saine adapted to illustrate various features of construction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentalsection y illustrating details of construction at the back ofthe counter.I Line m3, Fig. 4, indicates the line of section.

AFig. 4 is a fragmental elevation ofthe' supporting rail and the supplementary `closure shown in Fig. 3. i

Fig, 5 is a fragmental perspective View of the back of the counter, two of the doors be ing open, one of the supplementary `closures being removed and one of the mu'llions shown detached.

Fig. 6 is a broken longitudinal mid-sectional elevation looking rearwardly fromthe middle of the counter toward the back doors, omitting the grid.

Fig. 7 is a fragmental detail on an enp 35, larged scale of the fioor of the case.

The display counter is a two piece article of furniture in that it comprises a hollow pedestal 1, constituting the counter section and a display case 2, which is seated inside the pedestal and extends above and below the cornice 3 thereof. Said display case constitutes the cold box vand is transparent above, and opaque below, said cornice. 4The pedestal comprises a b ase 4, dado 5, and the cornice 3 in front; and said base, dado, and cornice mayextend around the front side and one or both ends of the pedestal. The rear side ofthe pedestal is preferably open, as indicated at 6l and is provided below the top of the pedestal with a rail 7 extending from end wall to end wall of the hollow pedestal. The base is made up of a floor vpiece '8, sills 9 and molding lO. The cornice 3 may be a strip of wood extending along the top Hoor 13, 'and is shown` provided with a refrigerant rack 14 upon which ice, not shown,

may be supported. Near the top of the re-v frigerant receptacle 12, a support in the` form of cleats 15 is fixed to the insideof the front and end walls 16, 17 of the refrigerant receptacle. A grid lSformed of one or more sections of wlre screen 1s mounted at the top of the refrigerant receptacle andV is mainly supported by the cleats 15; such support extending around inside the front and end walls of said box.

The portion of thecase which is above the cornice piece 11, when the counter is assembled, is mainly composed of transparent plates suitably vconnected together to vforml the front wall 19, end -walls 20, top 21, and `the rear construction connectingthe'floor ofthe refrigerant receptacle 12 and the dis-M play compartment thereabove which is formed by said transparent plates and their connections. The transparent plates may be made of any suitable material, and are preferably-of plate glass. Above the rear rail 7 of the pedestal there is a frame constituting a part of the display lcase and composed of the heat insulating fioor`13, front I wall 16 and end walls 17, the bottom bar 22, the stiles 23, the top bar 24, and mullions 25 and 25. Said top bar and-Stiles are joined to the rear edges of the top and end plates of the display case. .The mullions, may be detachably connected to the bottom and top bars 22 and 24 between the Stiles 23. 4 One of the mullions 25 is shown detached and laid on top of the display case in Fig. 5, and another mullion 25 is shown fixed in place.

The doors 26 are pivotally mounted as by -suitable hinges 27 on thestiles and mullions as the case may be, and in the form shown in Fig. 5, the two doors close upon the two bars and the detachable mullion 25, when said mullion is in place.

Detachable means are provided to support the rear edge of the grid and such means are shown as a right-angle rail 28, the upright limb 29 of which is provided with key-holes 30. Said railis supported by screws 31, the

heads of which may pass through the larger l vportion of the key-hole, the smaller portion of said key-hole bein at the top to accommodate the stem oft e screw when the angle-iron rail is'hung on the screw as indicated in Figs. '3 'and 4.

,Thev lower limb 32 of .the angle iron projects horizontally to support the grid or grating 18.

The case at the top of the fixture constitutes a refrigerating'receptacle and the same isdivided into upper and lower compartments by the grid 18 which may be of woven wire or other material allowing free circulation of air up and down therethrough.

The angle-'iron rail comprising limbs 29 and 32, marks a dividing line at the rear of case.

the case between the upper and lower compartments of theY refrigerating display case; and the doors 26 extend above and below said line, so that when one or more of the doors are opened, access through the opening formed by the bottotm and top bars 22 and 2l and the Stiles and mullions 23 and 25, 25', is given to the outside air. Supple-VV mentary closure means in the forni of aprons made of sheet metal or other suitable material and having their upper edges bent to form hook members 35, hook over the upper edge of the upright limb 29 of the angle rail, and hang down therefrom. One or' these aprons is provided for each of the spaces below the grid, which are normally closed by the doors; and when said aprons are hung in place, they form closures to prevent cold air from flowing out of the compartment.

in practical use the case will be charged by opening tile doors 26; and if desired the mullion 25 may` be removed and the aprons 34 will` also be removed. This gives access to the lower compartments beneath the grids l to allow ice to be inserted thereinto; then by replacing the mullion 25 and the aprons 34, the cold air is prevented from flowing out over the edge of the bar and is thus practically kept from flowing out of the lower compartment. The articles such as meat and other perishable products that are sired to cleanse the-interior, this can bereadily done by removing the grids, the rail, and the ice rack; whereupon the parts may be thoroughly cleaned.

rl`he construction shown may be fixed together by any suitable fastenin-gs as the screws 36 through thepedestal l into the box which forms the lower part of the display rlhe lower rail 22 at rear of the case is reinforced along its horizontal surface, with a piece of strap-iron, 37, which protects it against damage by ice during the filling oi the ice receptacle 12.

The pedestal and the show case are manu- JEactured independently of each other and are arranged to be fastened together as indicated for use, and they can be separated from each other for storage or transportation.

It is understood that the closure means may be variously constructed and that the outside closure may be made in one or more than one hinged pieces in any vform desired the combination with a display case having and may or may not be provided with panels or plates 38 of translucent or transparent material. l

The insulatingfloor is shown constructed, of wooden layers a, I), c, and cork layers cl, e, and an inner lsheet ofinetal f, and may be otherwiseV constructed as may be decided upon. Y

rlhe drip-pipe g may be constructedand located as desired and may be connected with any suitable drain.

The keyholes 30 are elongated up and down, thus allowing'- the portable angle-iron rail 28 to be shifted up to let ice pass, and the heads ofthe pins formed by screws 31 8G prevent withdrawal except when the heads register the larger opening of the keyhole.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator display counter comprising a counter section; a receptacle seated in the top of said section; a grid separating the receptacle into upper and lower compartments, the lower compartment being located below the level of the top' of the counter section, and the upper compartment being adapted to display the contents of the upper compartment; one side of said case being provided with an opening communicating with both compartments thereof; closure means to close said opening, and supplementary means for closing thel lower compartment whilefsaid closure means are open to give access to the upper compartment.

2. in a fixture of the character setforth,

1.06 anv entrance at the rear, and lnterlor grid supporting means and a grid inside said case; of a rail adapted to support the rear edge oit' the grid, and means to detachably support said rail at a plane between the top and bottom of the entrance to coperate with the interior grid supporting means;

3. In a fixture of thecharacter set forth, the combination with a display case having van entrance at the rear, and interior grid supporting means and a grid inside said case; Yof -a rail adapted to support the rear edge of the grid; means to detachably support said rail at a plane between the top and bottom of the entrance to coperate with the interior grid supporting means, and apron means detachably supported by said rail to close the entrance below the level of the grid. 4. lln a fixture of the character set forth, apedestal, a display case partly submerged in said pedestal and having an entrance at the rear andan upright frame at such entrance, headed pins in said trame and rails provided with holes by which the rail is shiftably hung on the pins. 5. A display case provided with an en@ trance at one side, a rail extending from end, to end ot the entrance; an apron formed oi: a sheet and adapted to catch upon the rail` and to close the portion of the entrance that lit is below said rail', and a door to close said entrance.

(i. A two iece ice containing refrigerator counter displlay case fixture provided with a wire shelf, the'case portion below the wire shelf being submerged into the counter portion; said fixture having doors which expose both the display and the ice, and having a portable angle-'iron on the door side loto support the shelf, and also haying removable aprons ca rried by said rail and covering the door opening portion beneath the angleiron.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 1st-15 day of November, 1919.

ANTON N. HORNUNG.

. Witness:

j JAMES R. TOWNSEND. 

